Andy Lee's Gourd Can "Speak"——Remembering the Disabled Artist Andy Lee and His "Treasure Gourd" for Helping the Disabled to Alleviate Poverty

Xinhua News Agency, Guiyang, May 17 Title: Andy Lee's Gourd Will "Speak" - Remembering the Disabled Artist Andy Lee and His "Treasure Gourd" for Helping the Disabled and Helping the Poor

Xinhua News Agency reporter Luo Fei

Andy Lee's gourd can "talk", and many people can't help but praise this disabled artist when they talk about it.

In a private house in Chabai Community, Qianxi County, Bijie City, Guizhou Province, Li Dehua's "gourd painting" handicraft production base is "loaded". The shelves in the exhibition area are lined with gourds of different sizes, the smallest being the size of a thumb.

Only to see the curved gourd wall, "painting" out of flowers, birds, fish and insects, portraits, mountains and rivers and other patterns, fine lines, light and shade, lifelike.

In the creation area on the side, nearly 30 people are using the electric soldering iron as a "brush" and the gourd wall as the "paper", following the ink line outlined on the surface of the gourd in advance, so that the originally inanimate dry gourd is "alive" again. Most of them are disabled.

Watching the disabled friends who studied with themselves make great progress, Andy Lee on the side was very pleased. "Since the establishment of this gourd handicraft production base in 2017, I have trained hundreds of disabled people, of which 21 have become permanent base employees." Andy Lee said that his wish for many years is to help more disabled people find employment and realize the value of their lives.

The 45-year-old Andy Lee was disabled by an injury at an early age, and he was deeply touched by his growth along the way. "Due to the inconvenience of my legs and feet, I have suffered a lot of hardships in studying and finding a job in the past, and I especially understand the hardships of life for the disabled." Andy Lee said that having a skill not only allows disabled friends to earn money to support themselves, but more importantly, makes them full of confidence in life.

Although it is difficult to walk, Andy Lee always "runs" for his dreams. In 1991, he was admitted to the Guizhou Provincial Art College, where he learned professional knowledge and continuously expanded his skills. Now he has started an advertising company in Guiyang and has become a well-known "artist" in Guizhou's folk arts and crafts circles.

For Andy Lee, years of running an advertising agency were enough for him to live a well-fed life, but he was not satisfied. For more than 10 years, the desire to help more disabled people find employment has always been rooted in the heart.

In 2017, Andy Lee returned to his hometown in qianxi and transformed the old house into a "gourd branding" handicraft production base. He also contracted 200 acres of land to plant gourds in the local area, and gradually formed a "gourd painting" handicraft processing production line integrating gourd planting, harvesting and finishing. At present, the base has invested nearly 4 million yuan.

"Many of the disabled people who come to study have relatively poor families, relatively low education, no skills, and lack of material and spiritual life." Andy Lee said that to teach them crafts, we must have patience and love, so that they can regain their confidence in life.

Yang Jiayun, who is in his 30s this year, is a poor disabled person in the Resettlement Site for Poverty Alleviation in Jinxiuhuadu, Qianxi County. Since learning "Gourd Painting" in July last year, a lot has changed. "He has been idle at home for many years due to his leg disability, and his personality is relatively loose and withdrawn." Li Dehua said that through study and training, the overall human temperament has changed greatly, and the motivation for independent learning is relatively sufficient and cheerful.

At present, most of the disabled people working at Andy Lee's base have an average income of more than 3,000 yuan per month. After years of operation, Andy Lee's "gourd painting" not only has a fixed sales channel in the domestic tourism market, but also exports to Southeast Asia, Canada and so on. Some of his works can also be sold for more than 100,000 yuan, which is a "treasure gourd" in the eyes of many people.

In Andy Lee's view, "gourd painting" is a handicraft technique and a process of tempering "mentality". Gourd size varies, gourd wall thickness is different, in the arc of the surface "painting" all rely on adjusting the temperature of the soldering iron "outline" line, a little careless will be hot paste, to be patient and meticulous, in order to grasp the light and shade of the picture.

"Its own development is inseparable from the support of the government, including the construction of bases, equipment and other construction has been helped by the county disabled persons' federation and so on." Li Dehua said that now that the conditions are good, we must also serve more disabled people and help them. Next, he plans to continuously improve the construction of the base, provide accommodation for disabled people living in remote areas, and strive to increase the number of employees in the base to about 100 people. (End)